WordPress Wednesday News: Beta 3 Released, WordCamp Australia, No WordPress 2.6.4, and More
WordPress 2.7 is at beta version 3 and the first Release Candidate is due any moment. I’ve collected tons of articles covering the next release of WordPress, expected to be one of the most exciting ever. WordCamp Australia is this weekend. Old versions of WordPress continue to be hacked, so please upgrade and not wait for WordPress 2.7. Be warned that if you are using WordPress 2.6.4, it could be fake. And more WordPress news.
WordPress News
WordPress 2.7 Development News: WordPress 2.7 Beta 3 fixed a lot of styles and design elements for the new interface, integrating 144 commits since beta 2. This version also includes an update for the first WordPress Plugin, “Hello Dolly.” The media upload buttons now have an “if available” option. They won’t show unless the ability to upload is available. QuickPress now features “Submit for Review” if the contributor can’t publish posts directly. They’ve added an API to the Administration Panels to make adding screen options easier. The Release Candidate One should be available any time now in final preparation for release by the end of the month if all continues on its right track. WordPress.com and WordPressMU will have WordPress 2.7 fully integrated a couple weeks later.
Jacob Santos has written “10 WordPress Features You’ll Never Care About”, a great list of some of the invisible features that helps make WordPress 2.7 even better, even if you can’t see or ever use them.
The WordPress 2.7: Project Icon for WordPress 2.7 is done and the winners are Ben Dunkle and Verena Segert. The two icon sets will be incorporated after some final adjustments into RC1.
Other articles and news about WordPress 2.7 include:
- Technosailor – Screenshots from WordPress 2.7
- Technosailor – 10 Things You Need to Know About WordPress 2.7
- WordPress.com – If WordPress 2.7 Was A Movie…
- Getting Ready for WordPress 2.7: Really Simple Category Styling
- Ryan Boren – WordPress 2.7: Getting Ready for Public Beta
- WordPress 2.7 UI Configurability from Ryan Boren
- WordPress Codex – Keyboard Shortcusts
- WPHacks – New Page Menu Function and Sticky Posts in WordPress 2.7
- Nathan Rice – Definitive guide to Sticky posts in WordPress 2.7
- WordPress 2.7 Feature List
- WordPress Usability Testing in New York
- planetOzh: WordPress 2.7 Featuring Your Favorite Actions
- WordPress 2.7 Navigation Survey from Jane Wells
- Shortcuts/Favorites Menu from Jane Wells
- Justin Tadlock – Making your theme’s comments compatible with WordPress 2.7 and earlier versions
- Mark Jaquith – WordPress 2.7 Feature Preview: Publish Module (UPDATED)
- Customizable Post Editing Screen from Mark Jaquith
- OP111 – Ten New Features in WordPress 2.7
- Ottodestruct – WordPress 2.7 Comments Enhancements
- Sivel – Separating Pings from Comments in WordPress 2.7
- ThemeShaper – WordPress Child Themes and
functions.php
- WordPress 2.7 Trac Milestone
- Weblog Tools Collection – Child Themes in WordPress 2.7 – Part 1 and Part 2
- The New 2.7 Dashboard
- The Visual Design of 2.7
- Usability Testing Report: 2.5 and CrazyHorse
- WordPress 2.7 wireframes
- WordPress 2.7 Development Updates
- WordPress Development Updates from Jane Wells
- WPHacks – Keyboard Shortcuts in WordPress 2.7
- WordCamp NYC: Matt Mullenweg on the State of WordPress also gives a walk through of WordPress 2.7 (video)
- Devlounge – Getting Ready for WordPress 2.7: Sticky Post Styling
- WordPress 2.7 and beyond from Matt at WordCamp Utah
- Nathan Rice – Is My Theme 2.7 Compatible?
- Jacob Santos on the hazards of customizing Themes in WordPress 2.7
- CrazyHorse Presentation at WordCamp SF
Will Automatic Upgrade Work With Your Web Host? WordPress 2.7 will feature the new Core Update automatic upgrading for WordPress, but can your server handle it? A article on the WordPress Codex, the online manual for WordPress Users, “Core Update Host Compatibility” explores whether or not the new feature will work with a specific web hosting company. NOTE: The upgrade feature may not work when updating to WordPress 2.7, but designed to work after upgrading.
Fake WordPress Malicious Site: Take care when searching for WordPress that you do not end up on a fake WordPress site. Wordpresz.org looks like the WordPress site but isn’t. The version of WordPress you download has malicious code in the download that opens a backdoor to your blog. If you upgraded WordPress to 2.6.4, you are running a fake version. There is no WordPress 2.6.4. The latest version is 2.6.3. This is just the first attempt and Automattic is looking at ways to keep users informed and warned, but pay attention to details and check the URL carefully before downloading WordPress. For more information see these articles, but please, do not click through to the fake WordPress site mentioned:
- Craig Murphy – WordPresz 2.6.4 – fake?
- Viper007bond – There is No Such Thing as WordPress 2.6.4
- Peter Westwood – WordPresz
- The Register – Trojanised WordPress
- ZDNet – Fake WordPress site distributing backdoored release
- Weblog Tools Collection – Fake WordPress Site
Learn the Jargon on WordPress: If you are new to WordPress, check out WordPress Semantics – Learning the Jargon, a great article on the WordPress Codex, the online manual for WordPress Users, that introduces you to the proper names for all those parts and pieces on WordPress. While people may call it the Dashboard, the Dashboard is just one panel within the WordPress Administration Panels. Using the right names for things helps when asking for help on the WordPress Support Forums or writing articles about using WordPress.
Don’t Let WordPress Get in Your Domain Name: A number of WordPress fan and “get-rich-quick-with-WordPress” sites have been starting up lately using “WordPress” in their domain name. This is in violation of the WordPress trademark. Before you do the same, reconsider. If you find a site using WordPress in their domain name, remind them of the trademark rules so they won’t be asked later to remove it.
Wall Street Journal Adds Another WordPress Blog: The WordPress Publisher Blog announced that the Wall Street Journal Magazine is now running as a CMS on WordPress.
LinkedIn Gets WordPressed: LinkedIn has added a variety of applications you can add to your LinkedIn page, including WordPress for LinkedIn. It works with full versions of WordPress and WordPress.com blogs to bring feed coverage of your blog to your Profile Page in a drag-and-drop module.
Showcasing the Best WordPress Blogs: The new WordPress Showcase highlights what are called the “best and brightest WordPress users who are using WordPress to do a lot more than blog.” Hosted on the WordPress.org site, they showcase screenshots and summary descriptions as examples of the possible with WordPress. For the next few weeks, I’ll feature some of the various blogs from different categories and tags to introduce you to the art of the possible with WordPress. This week showcases blogs tagged Music, which includes some very popular bands and singers.
- New Kids on the Block
- Alejandro Escovedo
- Beastie Boys
- Bjork’s Volta Tour
- Cassie
- Coke Studio
- Sigur Rós
- Sony BMG – Sweden
- Spotify
- The Roots
- The SEO Rapper
- XXL Magazine
The WordPress Podcast: The WordPress Community, better known as the WordPress Podcast, has a new look and design. Two week’s ago, Episode 46: WordPress 2.7 preview, Automattic acquires PollDaddy, Podcasting for Dummies and Practical Web Design Magazine featured Amazon S3 WordPress Plugin Simple Storage Service, MobilePress, WordCamps, and WordPress Plugins, Themes and tips.
WordCast Podcast: The latest episode, WordCast 36: Matt Mullenweg, proud papa, covers the beta releases of WordPress 2.7, WordPress Plugin that discriminate against visitors, game site WordPress Themes, songs, and more.
WordPress Weekly Podcast: The latest episode, WordPress – An Icon Of Its Time, covers the WordPress 2.7 icon competition, IntenseDebate reopening, a drag and drop tutorial, stick posts in WordPress 2.7, optimization tips, displaying archived posts in a new way, and more WordPress tips, news, and Plugins.
Last Week’s WordPress Wednesday News: Can’t get enough WordPress news and tips? There is so much news coming out about the latest version, so you can catch up with the past news in last week’s WordPress Wednesday News: 2.7 Delayed, Sneak Peak Video, Help WordPress iPhone, WordCamps.
WordPress on Your Calendar
WordPress Meetup or WordCamp Near You? If you are putting together a WordPress event, please email me so I can publicize it here. If there is a WordCamp near you, go. If you are interested in setting up a WordCamp, stay tuned for news and information on to bring a WordCamp event near you.
Here are some WordPress-related dates and events to put on your calendarh.
- Toronto WordPress November Meetup – November 22, 2008
- Atlanta Web Design with WordPress Users Group November Meetup – November 22, 2008
- WordCampED for educators – Washington DC – November 22, 2008
- The Dallas/Ft. Worth Area WordPress November Meetup – November 22, 2008
- WordPress 2.7 Release Meetup – Austin WordPress Meetup Group, Texas – November 25, 2009
- WordCamp Australia – Sydney – November 29-30, 2008
- Gulf Coast WordPress/Blogger Meetup – Mobile, Alabama – December 4, 2008
- Toronto WordPress Meetup – Toronto, Canada – December 6, 2008
- WordPress Installation Step-by-Step – South Florida WordPress Meetup Group, Pompano Beach – December 9, 2008
- Manchester WordPress User Group at MDDA – England – December 11, 2008 (Manchester WordPress User Group on Google Groups)
- WordCamp Las Vegas 2009 – Las Vegas, Nevada – January 10-11, 2009
- WordCamp Indonesia 2009 – Jakarta, Indonesia – January 17-18, 2009
- WordCamp Whistler 2009 – Whistler, BC, Canada – January 24, 2009 (Facebook)
- WordCamp Higher Ed North East – Worcester, Massachusetts – February 2, 2009
- WordCamp Miami 2009 – Miami, Florida – February 22, 2009
- WordCamp Denver 2009 – Denver, Colorado – February 28, 2009
- WordCamp NOLA – New Orleans, Louisiana – March 18-19, 2008
- WordCamp Denver 2009 – February 28, 2009 (Facebook)
- WordCamp Jena Germany – February 14, 2009
Upcoming WordCamps not scheduled or confirmed:
- WordCamp Indy (Indianapolis)
- WordCamp Augusta
- WordCamp Seattle (WordCamp Seattle Twitter
- WordCamp Argentina
- WordCamp Perú
Upcoming WordCamp and WordPress Event News
WordCamp Australia News: WordCamp Australia in Sydney is next weekend, November 29-30, 2008. Registration is heating up and may fill, so get signed up soon.
WordCamp Las Vegas: If you are heading to WordCamp Las Vegas, the hosting hotel, Palace Station Hotel & Casino, has a discount for lodging if you Book Online or by phone at 800.634.3101 and use the discount code PCIWCLV before December 10, 2008.
WordCamp Whistler: The latest WordCamp Whistler Update for the January 24, 2009, event of skiing, photography, and WordPress is set and there will be an admission for the event, though they are seeking sponsors to keep the prices down as low as possible. This unique WordCamp is expected to fill very fast as it is set in one of the most beautiful ski resorts in the world. There is now a Facebook event set for those wanting to sign up, as well as a WordCamp Whistler Barcamp Page.
WordCampNOLA: WordCampNOLA in New Orleans has been announced and a Twitter account set up to generate interest. They are looking at scheduling the event in March 2009.
Past WordCamp Events
WordCamp Charlotte: WordCamp Charlotte welcome and Mark Jaquith’s slide shows are up and available for viewing on the WordCamp Charlotte site, along with Promotion Panel – Corey Creed on SEO and Content is King – Sarah Aarthum. An amusing moment was had for many with a man stuck in an elevator during the WordCamp event.
WordCamp Israel: WordCamp Israel 2008 (English) was last week and had more than 500 attendees for a very successful event in Tel Aviv.
WordCamps and WordPress Meetups Everywhere
- WordPress Meetup: A WordPress Meetup is a frequent meeting of WordPress fans. If you would like to start a WordPress Meetup group, find a meeting place and announce it among your friends, and add a listing to the Yahoo Upcoming events for WordPress and WordPress Meetups Upcoming Events and tag them “WordPress Events” and “WordPress”, as many track WordPress event announcements there.
- WordCamp: A WordCamp is a day or two long event with sponsors and dozens if not hundreds of WordPress fans gathering annually. If you would like to sponsor or host a WordCamp, check out the new official site for tracking WordCamps is WordCamp Central, which includes instructions and guidelines for running a WordCamp. Get a Twitter account and add a listing to the Yahoo Upcoming events for WordPress and WordPress Meetups Upcoming Events and tag them “WordPress Events” and “WordCamp.
- WordPress and WordCamp Event News: In addition to our weekly Blog Herald WordPress Wednesday News, you can learn more about the various WordPress and WordCamp Events on the official WordCamp Central site, The WordCamp Report, Yahoo Upcoming events for WordPress, WordPress Meetups Upcoming Events, and Upcoming: Public events tagged with “WordCamp”.
WordPress Plugins and Themes News
IntenseDebate WordPress Plugin: Intense Debate has a new user-friendly WordPress Plugin available.
Understanding WordPress Nounces: Vladimir Prelovac offers “Improving security in WordPress Plugins using Nonces” as a guide to help you understand how WordPress uses nonces (number used once) to protect Plugins against cross-site request forgery (CSRF) hacker-attacks. If you are a WordPress Plugin developer, especially using AJAX, it’s important you understand the security risks involved in using nounces.
Twitter Tools Digest WordPress Plugin: Alex King reports problems with his Twitter Tools Digest WordPress Plugin and offers a fix to solve the issue with duplicate digests.
Interesting WordPress Plugins:
- MyADManager WordPress Plugin sets up 125 pixel ads on a WordPress blog with direct purchase and payments through PayPal.
- pingPressFM WordPress Plugin gives users of Ping.fm the ability to post to the service from your WordPress blog, which then releases update information and social media and microblogging posts across your social networks.
- PHPInclusion WordPress Plugin permits PHP commands to be used in posts and Pages.
- Thumbnail For Excerpts WordPress Plugin adds thumbnail images wherever you show experts of your blog post.
Finding WordPress Plugins: For more WordPress Plugins see the official WordPress Plugin Directory, the WordPress Plugins Database, and Weblog Tools Collection Plugin and Theme announcements.
WordPress Techniques and Tips
Here are some interesting WordPress tips I’ve found as I explore the web looking for WordPress resources:
- The Definitive Guide to Semantic Web Markup for Blog
- Plagiarism Today – Cloaking to Stop Scraping
- Do it Yourself: Optimize your Site Titles
- WordPress Redirect to a Thank You Page Or Message After Commenting
- Styling Individual Posts Using the_ID
- Yoast – 10 Checks to the Perfect WordPress theme
WordPress Tips on Twitter: I’ve started sharing WordPress Tips I’ve collected over the past couple years on Twitter at @lorelleonwp. I’ll be posting one WordPress tip link every morning (PST) covering recent versions of WordPress and WordPress usages and features.
Want to Write a WordPress Tip and See It Here? If you would like your WordPress tip and technique included in this list, see Tips For Writing Good WordPress Tips and Writing and Publishing Code In Your WordPress Blog Posts. When its ready, contact me at lorelleonwordpress@gmail.com.
WordPress.com News
Prepare for WordPress 2.7: Within the next month, WordPress 2.7 features will begin appearing on WordPress.com. For most people, the biggest changes will be in the Administration Panel interface. Under the hood, you will see improvements in speed, multimedia uploading, and Google Gears integration. Watch your WordPress Dashboard panel for updates and news. Expect the new interface to make your WordPress blogging experience easier and faster.
WordPress Community News
WordPress and Education: Matt Mullenweg reports there is a new mailing list for discussion of WordPress and education on the WordPress mailing lists.
WordPress Logos: The official WordPress logos are available on WordPress as are WordPress fan art featuring variations on the WordPress logo and artwork.
Things You Need to Know in the WordPress Community:
- WordPress Facebook Community: WordPress on Facebook
- WordPress Schwag for Sale: WordPress Shop
- WordPress Bugs: Reporting Bugs in WordPress
- Online WordPress Manual: WordPress Codex
- Have Your Say: WordPress Ideas
- WordPress Experts Found: Automattic WordPress Consultants List, WordPress Jobs, and the WP-Pro mailing list
- Help Installing WordPress: Installing WordPress for Free
- WordPress is Trademarked: You are not allowed to use WordPress in your domain name
- WordPress is WordPress: It’s spelled “WordPress” not “WordPress”. Oh, and Plugin is Plugin, not plug-in (what you put into a wall electrical socket).
Past WordPress Wednesday News Reports
- WordPress Wednesday News: 2.7 Delayed, Sneak Peak Video, Help WordPress iPhone, WordCamps
- WordPress Wednesday News: WordPress 2.7 Beta 2, Danger WordPress Faker, and More WordCamps
- WordPress Wednesday News: WordPress 2.7 Soon, Security Upgrade, PodCamp-WordCamp Hawaii, PollDaddy, and More
- WordPress Wednesday News: WordCamp News, WordPress 2.7, Lester Chan Plugins Famous, Super Cache Updated
WordPress News Sources
- WordPress Planet
- WordPress Development Blog
- WordPress.com Blog
- Weblog Tools Collection
- The WordPress Podcast
- Lorelle on WordPress
- Planet WordPress from Planet Ozh
- WordPress Publisher Blog
- Planet WordPress Canada
- The WordCamp Report
- WordCast
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Each Wednesday on Blog Herald is WordPress Wednesday, featuring the news around the WordPress Community. If you have a WordPress news item or tip to suggest, please contact me at this special email address: lorelleonwordpress@gmail.com
The author of Lorelle on WordPress and the fast-selling book, Blogging Tips: What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging, as well as several other blogs, Lorelle VanFossen has been blogging for over 15 years, covering blogging, WordPress, travel, nature and travel photography, web design, web theory and development extensively as web technologies developed.
I’ve ended up talking to someone who is local to my area and if the cards fall in the right place, I just may be able to be one of the people to actively have WordPress Meetups. I’ve been wanting to do one for awhile but have not wanted to go at it alone. Thankfully, I’ve come across someone else who is interested in the idea and I think we’ll give it a shot.
Outside of my connection to the web, I know of no one that knows what WordPress is.
You are such a lightweight, my friend. You will be surprised how many come out of the woodwork when you make the announcement and start spreading the word. Maybe only two will show up, but within a couple of months, that number will grow. Be brave. Mark Ghosh thought the same thing and look where he is now. :D
I am a light weight, but you continue to be an inspiration for me. I’d love to be able to travel around the world to meet with people using the software known as WordPress. I’ve always had this feeling that perhaps I could become a male version of you. Although my work output is no where near yours at the current time, I hope I’m slowly making my way up the totem pole.
Getting into the local scene will probably be a lot oaf fun. To actually sit down and have face to face conversations will be refreshing considering most of my conversations take place through someones comment form.
Sadly, the comments made by Ozh and I on the post you linked to were deleted when I failed to make certain I was deleting the right tables in the right database. Luckily, there was a 16 hour old backup, but it didn’t have the recent comments.
There was something bought up by Ozh that I made a patch for. Oh yeah, it had to do with the HTTP API.
Anyway, thanks for linking to my articles.
Oh yeah, I wanted to say that WordPress Mu is already merging the changes from WordPress 2.7 over. It isn’t completely done and it doesn’t all look pretty, but I think it should be out a lot quicker than previous versions.
Awesome to get an overview of WP’s world. Thanks for this!
By the way, WC Argentina was held on November 8th with Matt presence.
You are doing a great work guy,
Cheers,
J.-